


Sakura Blossoms

by Steangine



Series: Sakura [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, past AoKaga
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-04 04:46:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6641923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steangine/pseuds/Steangine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The short story of Kuroko Tetsuya, who thought he loved Aomine Daiki, but then realized he had always loved him. [starts with AoKaga, ends with start of AoKuro]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sakura Blossoms

**Author's Note:**

> There's a particular reason I wrote this. People who follow my AoKuro blog on tumblr knows. By the way, my Japanese teacher did a dictation exercise about hanami and I thought of sakura flowers as background for the story, as they symbolize rebirth.

At the beginning of the third year of high school Aomine Daiki and Kagami Taiga started dating.

It was a bolt from the blue for everyone, especially for Kuroko. He was pretty sure Kise had more chances to become Aomine’s boyfriend, due to the chemistry they always denied existed between them.

“ _But probably they just are suited to each other._ ”

Kuroko put and end of his vortex of thoughts with that simplistic but true statement. In the end, for how he tried to find a reason to that strange bond born at the beginning of a warm April, Kuroko couldn’t change the facts: Aomine was in love with Kagami and not with him.

“Oi, Kuroko.” Kagami turned towards him, his mouth dirtied in crumbles of the sandwich he had just devoured. “Did you confess to the person you like?”

Kuroko jolted and blinked. The view of the trees full of pink flowers around their school had mesmerized him. “Excuse me?”

“The person you like.” Kagami repeated. “You looked self-confident the other day when you left my house.”

“Yes, I did.” He lied. “But that person likes somebody else. We remained friends.”

“Oh… is he that Ogiwara?”

For a second Kuroko thought about nodding, however he denied.

“No. A student in the library committee.”

“I see…”

Kagami didn’t even consider it could be a person outside the “basketball circle”. Then he remembered that Kuroko was part of the library committee and not only of the basketball club, so there was part of his life Kagami couldn’t witness.

“Kagami-kun, are you free this evening?”

“Uhm, no. I’m not.”

Kuroko didn’t need his observation skills to notice how Kagami was feeling unease. He scratched his head and diverted his eyes, trying to focus on something else.

“What did you want to do?”

“Nothing at all. Just dropping by Maji, as usual.”

Kuroko was sure that evening Kagami was going to meet with Aomine, but he didn’t want to investigate further. He didn’t want to think about it anymore.

 

 

After High School their ways parted.

Coaches from America arrived in Japan to scout the players who, more than one year before, defeated the Jabberwock. Akashi denied the offer, as he was interested in continuing his studies in Japan and Midorima did the same; Murasakibara came back after a year because he missed Japan and Kise followed his example short after, entering a Japanese team.

Aomine and Kagami left Tokyo together to play for the same American team. Kuroko didn’t meet the expectations of any of the scouts and remained in Japan. He eagerly followed every single match of his friends, burning with admiration and envy while he conducted the simple life of an average college student. After a year in an university basketball team, he started teaching basket to children in his neighborhood.

With time his feelings towards Aomine changed from envy and grief to a slow happiness of knowing he was doing fine together with Kagami. Kuroko didn’t really know when he started to smile when he saw on the mobile the photos of them grinning together and he became their hugest fan; even if he had always been, especially Aomine’s.  
It just happened one day, he realized he wasn’t in love anymore with Aomine and that was a relieving turnover in his life.

“Sakamura-san wants to ask you out.”

Kuroko told Momoi he liked only men when she declared her love to him towards the end of their third year of high school. Kuroko admired her for what she had done despite her fear of being rejected as a friend too. After the first weeks of embarrassment and sadness, Momoi became Kuroko’s confident about his “love” affairs.

“The one from your classes?”

Kuroko didn’t doubt her, he was aware of her capabilities in gathering information.

“Yup. He is pretty and clever. Will you accept?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. But Satsuki-san, you shouldn’t have told me. Maybe he is shy.”

“Basically all the school know he wants to make a move on you. You are pretty clumsy when it comes to love affairs, Tetsu-kun!”

“I guess you don’t recommend him then.”

Kuroko smiled.

“Uhm, well…”

“Or else you wouldn’t have told me anything.”

“You got me.”

Momoi touched his neck and mimed the gesture to move away the hair from his face, then she remembered she had her hair cut two days before and shook her head.

“It’ll take me some time before I’ll stop trying to wiggle away my hair.”

“You took a serious decision. Your hair had gotten very long.”

“Yes, but my head feels so light now. I like it.”

Momoi with short hair was truly gorgeous; Kuroko liked her new appearance, yet he knew she decided to change as a symbolic start over: her boyfriend dumped her and some days after she asked Kuroko to accompany her to the hairdresser.

“I’m going home. Do you take the bus?”

“Fukuyama sensei wanted to see me. I have to go to his office.”

Kuroko greeted Momoi before she exited the building. He lingered on the entrance, staring at the pink petals dancing in the air before falling down. They were beautiful and he awakened from his contemplation thanks to a first year who bumped on him and paled as he didn’t see him. Kuroko smiled to reassure him, but he paled even more and run away.

In the teacher’s office he didn’t find the teacher sitting at her desk as usual. He walked to the huge window facing one of the sakura trees in the yard.

“Tetsu?”

Kuroko turned so fast he felt a glimpse of nausea.

“Aomine-kun?”

He thought he was hallucinating for no reason, since Aomine was in front of him. Kuroko got closer and realized that their height difference increased again in that year they didn’t meet.

“ _No fair._ ”

He mumbled on his mind touching his solid chest with the index.

“You are really here.”

Kuroko declared at last maintaining his composed calm.

“Holy shit Tetsu, you are always so deadpanned when you say such things. Are you serious?”

Aomine ruffled his hair with a smile.

“Why are you here?”

“Attending university, what else?”

“I mean–“

The teacher entered the room and chirped a pleasant “Oh!” as she saw the boys. “Kuroko-kun, I’m glad you met Aomine-kun. He needs to recover some of my exams and I thought you were the most suited to help him.”

All those news arrived so fast that Kuroko stared dumbfounded at the teacher and then at Aomine, who had a strange expression: not enough glorious to be triumphant but not enough humble to be embarrassed. He was just happy, but it looked like he was containing himself.

“Okay. There’s no problem.”

What else should have he replied?

 

 

“I wanted to do a surprise. Satsuki doesn’t know it either, but I wasn’t sure my mother would have kept the secret so well.”

Aomine was walking with his head back reclined and didn’t stop staring at the sakura flowers even while talking.

“Man, I missed this view so much… in two years I didn’t manage to come at the beginning of spring.”

Kuroko wasn’t still believing that Aomine was back and he was acting normally, as the past two years nothing happened and he never left for playing in America.

“I didn’t know you liked so much these flowers.”

“I didn’t know until I couldn’t see them anymore. Hey, Tetsu.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s go to Ueno park.”

“Now?”

“Yes now. I wouldn’t have asked you otherwise!”

Just some hours before Kuroko would have never thought he would have rode a train with Aomine to reach Ueno and see the blossoming of the Japanese spring. Everything seemed so normal between them that Kuroko felt it was strange. They talked as if they parted ways only for few days.

_ “Teaching basketball to kids?” _

_ “Yes, it’s fun.” _

_ “I’m sure you are a good teacher, Tetsu.” _

_ “Nothing special… And in America? How was America?” _

_ “Totally… different. I missed Japan.” _

Aomine didn’t stop saying from time to time how he missed Japan and how he had been torn between the desire of facing the greatest basketball players and the hope of coming back in his country.

_ “I can’t believe Taiga could actually bring that kind of life.” _

When they got out from the train, Kuroko remembered Aomine was with Kagami; in the rush of reaching the park and finding a good place to stay he forgot, until Aomine came to him with two cans of beer. Kuroko arched his right eyebrow.

“I’m not an adult yet.”

“Well, I am. Nobody will ask.”

“Are you used to drink?”

“Only beer. And only if I eat.”

Aomine sat down with his back pressed on a tree trunk and put a box of takoyaki between them. Kuroko took his can and opened it.

“And are you, Tetsu?”

“A bit.”

“I used to drink more, when I was with Taiga.” Aomine took a sip. “We broke up some months ago.”

Kuroko swallowed more beer than he intended to; the bubbles tingled his mouth and throat and the bitter flavor left a mellow sensation on his tongue. He put a takoyaki in his mouth to cover the unpleasant flavor.

“I didn’t know.”

“Well, it wasn’t a big deal. I mean, nothing changed between us but we discovered almost at the same moment that… we were fuck buddies.” Aomine changed a bit his language in America, it was a bit more blue. “It’s not a big news and we were in the middle of a championship. Training almost killed us.”

“I see.”

Kuroko munched slowly as he tried to see more on Aomine’s face, yet he couldn’t notice anything. Was he sad because of the break up? Or was it just something that happened and both Aomine and Kagami accepted it? Kuroko didn’t know.

“But we are still in touch. Did I make you sad?”

Aomine was enjoying the takoyaki. Kuroko let him have them and grasped the can with both hands.

“Not at all. I’m just surprised.”

Kuroko took another huge sip and part of his guilt sank in his stomach in the alcohol. How could he face Aomine when the first sensation he felt at the news was happiness? What a fool he had been for all those years. Kuroko Tetsuya was so conceited he actually arrived to believe he didn’t feel anything more for Aomine Daiki than a simple strong bond of friendship and admiration. But he was staring at his profile, young and beautiful as it was in his memories; his sparkling eyes admiring the Japanese nature flourishing around them made him look more and more like the Aomine from middle school.

“They don’t have something like sakura trees in America. At least where I went.”

“But America must be a beautiful place, mustn’t it?”

“Just a different place.”

Kuroko noticed he finished all the beer only when he tried to drink again and nothing poured inside his mouth. He glared at the can with a disappointed expression and clearly heard a laugh next to him.

“Tetsu, your cheeks are red.”

“Really?”

“You are a lightweight.”

“I’m not.”

Aomine moved closer to him, swinging a takoyaki in front of his eyes.

“You should eat.”

“I’m fine.”

A delicious smell arrived directly inside Kuroko’s nostrils. Not regretting his reply, he munched on the takoyaki so fast that Aomine remained with the stick in midair. He chuckled.

“Thank god you were fine like that!”

Aomine laughed and Kuroko hated himself, because he was really happy he broke up with Kagami; he felt like he had to cry, instead he was smiling like an idiot.

“You should… go see Satsuki-san, Aomine-kun.”

“I’ll go this evening. And I’ll bring food.” Aomine finished his beer. “By the way Tetsu, you switched back calling me by surname.”

Kuroko didn’t even notice. “My bad. Habit, I guess…”

He lowered his head and saw his lap filled with pastel pink petals. A hand slid in his hair, making him jolt.

“You have a lot of petals on your hair.”

“You too.” That was true, lots of tiny petals adorned Aomine’s dark hair. “Those don’t suit you.” And that was false.

“Well, those doesn’t suit you too!”

Kuroko didn’t try to avoid Aomine’s arm clamping around his neck, nor wriggled away as the familiar pain of his knuckles rubbing on his head prodded him. He laughed along with Aomine until he stopped and felt his head so light he leaned it on the warm shoulder. Aomine didn’t took away his arm, Kuroko felt the slight and fast touch of his fingers on the right cheek.

“…really, I missed everything.”

In silence, Kuroko raised his head while Aomine pulled back the arm.

“So you aren’t intentioned in coming back.”

“No. And apparently Taiga will come here too. Looks like his father will be transferred in Tokyo for good.”

Aomine caressed the grass in an unconscious move. He sensed Kuroko’s hand touching him and retreating.

“Sorry.”

“Nothing.”

“I’m glad for him.”

“You met his father, right?”

Aomine kept looking at the sky of flowers above their heads, he moved his hand more towards Kuroko’s. He timidly bended his little finger on Kuroko’s and his heart twitched in happiness when their fingers intertwined.

“Yes, I did. He is a particular person and didn’t act like Taiga-kun’s father.”

“Well, the eyebrows don’t lie.”

Aomine moved his fingers on Kuroko’s back of the hand.

“Maybe Taiga-kun trims them.”

“No, no, they’re a trademark.”

Kuroko wondered why they were talking about Kagami while Aomine arrived to hold his hand. He didn’t try to change topic, it happened naturally, as the conversation went on and they switched subject whenever they felt like talking about something else that casually popped out.

A rain of pink was falling over them and Kuroko had the impression they were still dancing in front of his eyes even when they reached the train station.

“It’s so late. Are you sure Satsuki is home now?”

“Yes, I’m sure. These days she doesn’t really want to go out.”

They blabbered about frivolous things and Kuroko from time to time glanced at Aomine’s hand, wondering how he would have reacted if he were to hold it in the middle of the crowd. Kuroko wasn’t brave enough to do it.

“Tch. I bet it’s that stupid idiot’s fault.”

Aomine meant her ex-boyfriend and Kuroko internally agreed with him: he was an idiot and it was his fault.

“You’ll make her happy. She misses you a lot.”

“Yup. I know.”

The cold voice announcing the approaching train interrupted them and after few seconds they heard the sounds of the wheels darting on the tracks. Around them the air tensed a bit, as everyone was ready to get in the coach no matter what.

“Mine is the next one.”

“Yup. I remember.” Aomine clenched his hand on the shoulder strap of the bag. “By the way, tomorrow morning let’s have breakfast before lessons start, okay?”

“Ah, okay.” That was unexpected and Kuroko replied by instinct.

The train arrived fast and he was fast to decelerate until its stop.

“Aaaah. This may be the only thing I didn’t really miss.” Aomine sighed. “Damn crowd on trains...”

Kuroko read a slight hesitation as the sliding doors opened. He gave Aomine a questioning look, but didn’t expect him to bend over and give him a kiss on the cheek. They looked at each other and Aomine seemed as puzzled as Kuroko.

“A… friendly kiss. You know, American habits. I’ll call you later for breakfast plans!”

The crowd brought Aomine away inside the train, leaving Kuroko on the platform. He touched his face in the point he felt Aomine’s lips. As he lowered the arm, he noticed a sakura petal trapped in the cuff of his sleeve.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a sweet future!AoKuro. I hope you liked it :)  
> They need more love :3


End file.
